Plymouth Barracuda

PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA - LATE TO THE PARTY
Both the Muscle Car race and the Pony Car race had been on since the mid-60s, yet Mopar (Dodge, Chrysler & Plymouth) had missed out on much of it. Stuck with a bunch of ugly, stodgy body designs, there wasn't much they could do, at first, but cram huge engines into little cars like the Plymouth Belvedere, and give it a crazy name...like Barracuda!

THE EARLY PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA
The early Barracudas looked exactly like what they were: tarted up Plymouth Belvederes with a goofy-looking fastback grafted onto the back. But they also came in convertible form.
ABOVE: This 1966 Barracuda nicely illustrates the look of that fastback. Check out that enormous (and probably expensive) rear window.
BELOW: The 1968 Barracuda Convertible shows that the lines may have actually improved by chopping off the top.

FINALLY, A WICKED PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA
It took until 1970 for Chrysler to fully hit their stride. They released 2 of the best-loved Pony Cars/Muscle Cars of the era with the Dodge Challenger and the Plymouth Barracuda. They shared mechanicals & general shape. Both were arguably the best-looking such cars of the era.
BELOW: This 1971 Cuda has a 440 Six-Pack and Shaker Hood.
BOTTOM: This is a 1973 Barracuda, which by then had eschewed the big block in favor of a 340 small block V8. The Muscle Car Era was over.